Video Nasties

Beware the Mary Whitehouse

Case Studies

PCC:


Libel Laws:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4266209.stm

Press Ownership in the UK:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/rupert-murdoch

Press ownership around the world
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_of_media_ownership

Chequebook journalism
http://journalism.about.com/od/ethicsprofessionalism/a/checkbookjournalism.htm

Phone Tapping
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8533394.stm

Wide reaching audience


Human rights freedom of speech
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_speech

Official secrets act
http://netjrfmasscomm.blogspot.com/2010/04/official-secrets-act-osa-1923.html

Race relations act, sexual offences etc

Audience Theory:

1.


2. Texts need audiences in order to realise their potential for meaning. So a text does not have a single meaning but rather a range of possibilities which are defined by both the text and by its audiences. The meaning is not in the text, but in the reading. (Hart 1991)

3. Audiences are not blank sheets of paper on which media messages can be written; members of an audience will have prior attitudes and beliefs which will have prior attitudes and beliefs which will determine how effective media messages are. (Abercrombie 1996)

4. Baker describes how an audience interacts with a media text. Different people react in different ways to the same text. This is the way in which audiences feel themselves connected to a particular media text, in that they feel it directly expresses their attitude or lifestyle.

5. Gauntled Audience throy:
The effects model tackles social problems 'backwards'
The effects model treats children as inadequate
Assumptions within the effects model are characterised by barely-concealed conservative ideology.
The effects model inadequately defines its own objects of study
The effects model is often based on artificial elements and assumptions within studies
The effects model is often based on studies with misapplied methodology
The effects model is selective in its criticisms of media depictions of violence
The effects model assumes superiority to the masses
The effects model makes no attempt to understand meanings of the media
The effects model is not grounded in theory.

6. The ritual approach to genre study as developed by John Cawelti, Thomas Schatz and others attempts to suggest some common threads among many, if not most, of the genre audience. Their intention is to find links between culture and texts, and attempt to answer what role genre texts play in genre and attempt to answer what role genre texts play in genre audiences’ lives.

BBFC

BBFC: British Board of Film Classification

When was it 1st established?
1912

What does it do?
The BBFC is required to consider whether material submitted for classification is in conflict with the law, or has been created through the commission of a criminal offence

What issues are the BBFC Concerned with?

• Violence

• Weapons

• Imitable techniques

• Sex

• Sexual language

• Sexual violence

• Drugs

• Horror

• Criminal activity

• Language

• Theme

• Tone

• Discrimination

What other classifications catagories have been used by the BBFC apart from U etc?

H: Horror

X: No children under the age of 16

A: Is equivilant to a U

AA: Allow admission for over 14's

R18

12A

Does the Press have too much power?

In the press, the major part that is reported is the unexpectedness of a situation. This is to shock the audience in either reading the news or watching it. This is only one of 13 points that the press follow in capturing the audience’s attention in the news.

For statistics 65% of over 15 year olds reads a daily news paper, this is a high percentage of people that are influenced by what news is written in the newspaper. However The Mirror group owns 45% of the newspaper industry. This mass control of the industry would make the audience believe that the newspaper industry is bias as the opinions and views of the situation are controlled by one major controller. In one case Rupert Murdoch did not agree to some views expressed by the Labour party, and therefore made huge claims against the party to make the audience ‘hate’ that party. This is one way of manipulation that the press can control. This could follow closely to the term of Ideology, as this set belief of the individual can affect the audience, this can also be recognise as being deviant. This applies to Northcliffe Media, as they have a combined readership of 7 million people. This creates a major impact as majority of readers will be affected by the reporter’s opinions of that news that day. This makes the audience want to think and feel, the same way the reporter does about the situation.

Another point that the press usually take on news that will be frequently used again in the media and know that it will keep audiences interested in that one story line. These news headlines generally on the front cover; this could also be related to unexpectedness as it will make the audience read more of the story. This could apply to both Tabloid newspapers and Broadsheets, depending on whether the news is classed as gossip or factual news.

However, the one part that the press cannot control is the factors that have been listed by the PCC (Press Complaints Commission). Some examples are: Harassment, Discrimination, Privacy etc. This will make the press stop reporting news that does not have consent from the person being reported. Although this does not seem to be effective as the press continually repeat the same offence, as they want to report the best news stories of the day.

In conclusion, the press have majority control on what is reported and not reported in the news. The news in which are not reported are the ones that will affect anyone e.g. relatives emotionally. Although the news paper usually report this type of news to begin with before it is reported and those 65% of newsreaders will see the news of that situation anyway.

Introduction to PCC

1. PCC: Press Complaints Commission

2. The Press Complaints Commission is an independent body which deals with complaints from members of the public about the editorial content of newspapers and magazines.

3. Codes of Practise
Harassment
Pre publication advice
Media Attention following Death
Reporting 'Off the record' Information
Court and Inquest Hearings
Hospitals and Similar Institutions
Schools and Children
Discrimination

4.

6. In 2007, the PCC worked with Cheshire Police to assist the family of Garry Newlove, who had been murdered outside his home in Warrington. The family was concerned about media attention in the run up to the trial of five youths accused of his murder, and came to the PCC for help.